More of the 2.7 million children of prisoners in the U.S. will be connected with their incarcerated parents this holiday season, thanks to a new partnership between Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program and the Church of the Nazarene. The denomination’s Board of General Superintendents recently voted to encourage Church of the Nazarene congregations across the country to take part in the only nationwide, year-round effort that reaches out exclusively to children with a parent in prison.
More of the 2.7 million children of prisoners in the U.S. will be connected with their incarcerated parents this holiday season, thanks to a new partnership between Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program and the Church of the Nazarene. The denomination’s Board of General Superintendents recently voted to encourage Church of the Nazarene congregations across the country to take part in the only nationwide, year-round effort that reaches out exclusively to children with a parent in prison.
Since 1982, Prison Fellowship has worked through volunteers from thousands of local church congregations to deliver Christmas presents to millions of children on behalf of their incarcerated parents, helping to forge connections among estranged family members and break the generational cycle of crime. While individual churches have long joined in this effort, Prison Fellowship’s understanding with the entire Church of the Nazarene denomination is the first of its kind for the prison ministry organization.
“This is the beginning of change and healing for every community that has the blessing of having an Angel Tree-affiliated Nazarene church in it,” said Prison Fellowship Ministries CEO Jim Liske. “God is so thrilled when His people work together, and I am thrilled that Angel Tree can both serve the Church of the Nazarene and glorify God at the same time.”
Angel Tree provides year-round support – Christmas gifts, mentoring, summer camps, back-to-school outreach, and more – to children with a parent in prison. Each element of the program addresses the earnest desire of every child to feel loved by their moms and dads – even when they’ve committed a crime.
“I am very excited about this significant partnership between Prison Fellowship and Church of the Nazarene,” said Prison Fellowship President Garland Hunt. “God calls us all to reach prisoners and their children. By working together, we can make a bigger difference than ever before.”
With its announcement, the Church of the Nazarene is actively seeking to increase Angel Tree congregational participation from 130 churches in 2011 to 500 in 2012. Volunteers at the denomination’s churches across the U.S. will purchase and deliver Christmas gifts this holiday season to children in the name of their imprisoned parent.
Last year Prison Fellowship partnered with some 7,700 churches and thousands of individuals to provide Christmas gifts for some 400,000 prisoners’ children on behalf of their incarcerated parents.
To find out how to get involved, visit www.AngelTree.org or call 1-800-55-ANGEL (1-800-552-6435).